Preheat oven to 500°F. Cover a rimmed baking dish with foil and place whole bell peppers on baking sheet. Roast in preheated oven for 30-45 minutes until skins are blackened and puffed.

Remove from oven. Using tongs, place bell peppers in a zip-top bag and seal, steaming them for 15 minutes. Then remove stems and seeds and slip off skins. Roughly chop.

Meanwhile, heat oil over medium heat in a large, heavy soup pot and add the onion. Cook stirring often until onion is translucent, about 3 minutes, and add the carrot and celery and a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are tender and fragrant, about 5 more minutes.

Stir in the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute.

Add the tomatoes with their liquid, the tomato paste, basil springs, cinnamon, sugar, if using, and salt to taste. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have cooked down slightly and smell fragrant, about 10 minutes.

Add the stock or water, rice, the diced roasted peppers (when ready), and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes, stirring from time to time.

Season with freshly ground pepper, taste and adjust salt. Remove the basil sprigs.

Using an immersion blender, puree the soup. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Serve topped with croutons, Parmesan cheese, and/or slivered basil.